


The Beauty Deep Within Life

by pokeshipper4life



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/F, F/M, Gen, James Potter's sister, M/M, Marauders, Marauders AU, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2019-07-18 22:57:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16128473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pokeshipper4life/pseuds/pokeshipper4life
Summary: James Potter was in love with Lily Evans. Lily Evans was in loathe was James Potter. However, what happens when being best friends with his younger sister causes her to spend some time with him over the summer before their last year at Hogwarts? Will her opinion of him change when they're made Head Girl and Boy. Will she finally find love in the new school year or will it all be for naught? With the war raging in wizarding world, she and her friends will need each other more than ever. Are they going to be able to find the light or will they be consumed by the darkness. Come along for the epic adventure spanning all the way through post-Deathly Hallows to find out.Marauders era AU with original characters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been living in my head for a good fifteen years now. I've tried writing it a few times, but this time I think I have the ability to give it the life it deserves. This is the second time I have rewritten it, and the first chapter has taken a life of its own. I hope that you enjoy the journey.
> 
> Sarah
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters (unfortunately).

      Sunlight cascaded through the tall windows of the Potter household as a seventeen-year-old lay on his bed, the sheets askew. A tepid breeze came up through the window. Normally, the young man would have been enthralled with such weather. There was not a cloud in sight, rare for just outside of London. It would have been the perfect weather to take his broom out for a spin. It was the latest model—a Nimbus 1500, which had come out earlier that year. It had been his gift for when he had become of age, and when your parents had a vast fortune like his did, money was no object.

      He had been thrilled for that broom when it had arrived by owl one night in late March. It was perfect for Quidditch, a sport played upon brooms where players tried to score by throwing a ball into one of three hoops. As Quidditch captain for Gryffindor house, James thought that it had done a lot for the team’s morale for the rest of the year. They had won the cup this past June of course, and normally, he would have been putting in that extra practice as to continue their streak.

      It was not a normal day, however. How could it be when he knew that she was coming to stay for a few days? How could he think of anything else when thoughts of bright, green eyes swirled around in his brain? He sighed and rolled over, his skin sticking slightly to the sheets. Quidditch was one of the last things on his mind in that moment.

      His best friend Sirius Black had already tried to drag him out of bed that morning, with the intent of practicing as well. He was a beater on the team, starting a year after James.  Like James, Sirius was also a wizard.

      James and Sirius were in their last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the best school of magic in all of Britain. This upcoming year would prove to be the toughest yet with preparations for their NEWTs (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) and all. They were certainly not looking forward to all of the homework they were sure to have, though they would probably slack off on a lot of it, as usual.

      He was sure that he and his friends could handle it, no matter how tough it would get. They had had loads of practice with all of their adventures around the school. Bubblehead chards were nothing in comparison to the work they had put into the Marauder’s Map, a piece of parchment that when given the correct password, would reveal a complete map of Hogwarts and all movements of its inhabitants to the user. After many months of completing it in their spare time, they finally had a finished product last fall.

      Sirius had been living at his house ever since last summer when he had finally had enough of his blood supremacist family and ran away from home. He had shown up at their door one stormy night. Of course it had been raining. Sirius always had a habit of being dramatic. James didn’t care though. He was thrilled to have him there, and normally, James would have been grateful for Sirius’ company, but today was a different matter.

      “Come on, Prongs,” Sirius had whined at him that morning, leaning over his bed and brushing his black hair out of his eyes. He had been holding his own broom over his shoulder.

      “Oh sod off,” James had groaned from underneath his pillow. Why couldn’t he have been left to mope in peace?

      “Come on, Prongs,” Sirius retorted. “Don’t make me have to practice with Rini.”

      “What’s wrong with her?” James frowned, showing his face for the first time since Sirius had barged into his room.

      “Nothing,” Sirius had said quickly. “Don’t get me wrong. She’s a decent chaser and all, but she’s not you, you know.”

      “I’d say that she’s actually better than me in a lot of cases.”

      “You’re joking.”

      “I don’t know. She comes up with a lot of plays that we do.”

      Sirius had suppressed a laugh. James had then thrown the pillow at him. His frown had deepened, his eyebrows furrowed.

      “Would you lay off of my sister?”

      “Fine,” Sirius had replied before tossing the pillow back at him. “I’ll go see if she wants to practice.”

      That had been hours ago, and James was still plastered to his bed. He could have stayed there all day if it were up to him. The occasion would certainly have warranted it. It was bound to be a disaster if he were to leave this room. The way to avoid looking like an idiot would be to avoid her completely. That had to be the solution.

      The door flew open with a bang, causing James to jump, knocking his glasses askew. He bolted upright, his hand flying to his wand. He was about to cast a stunning spell, but stopped short when he saw the petite brunette in front of him, a frown plastered across her face.

      “Merlin’s beard, Rini. You should know better to something like that. I could have hurt you.”

      “Yeah, but you didn’t,” she said, her eyes dancing, a grin etched on her face.

      “Ugh, what do you want anyway?” he asked, straightening his glasses.

      “Mum sent me up here. She said that you’re not allowed to lock yourself in here all day when we have guests.”

      “Do I have to?” James groaned.

      “You expect me to entertain your friends too?”

      “Naturally,” James replied, not missing a beat. “What else are sisters for?”

      “James!”

      His head pivoted in her direction. He took a long look at his sister. She was a year younger than him, about to go into her sixth year at Hogwarts. They were siblings, but they didn’t really look that much like each other. Serena Potter took after their mother. Her hair was soft, chestnut brown and fell upon her face in elegant wisps, accenting the messy bun that she frequently put it up in. She had bright sapphire eyes with no need for glasses, unlike her brother. They had a fire behind them, which frequently sparked at the smallest of challenges. She had a lot of spunk for being a tiny person, barely coming up to his shoulder in height.

      Her hair was down that morning, cascading down her back and ending at her waist. She had her own wand tucked behind her ear, though she wouldn’t have been able to even use it. She was dressed in Muggle clothes – a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up and a light pink skirt. She stood there, her toes dancing against the wooden floor. She stared down at her hands, suddenly intensely interested in her cuticles. He sighed and sat upright, his eyes full of desperation.

      “You wouldn’t understand,” he said.

      “Oh c’mon, James. You can’t go all week avoiding her.”

      “Want to try me?”

      “Get over yourself. It’s not that bad.”

      “Well, let’s see—the girl I fancy, who also happens to be my sister’s best friend, hates me and my friends and is coming to stay at my house for a week. Yeah, it’s that bad.”

      “She doesn’t hate you.”

      “Funny, that’s not the impression I got.”

      Rini rolled her eyes. The expression reminded him of the look Lily would have on her face when they won in Quidditch. The influence that the two had on each other was unmistakable. James only wondered when his sister would start to hate him too.

      “Oh please,” she retorted. “You’re almost as over-dramatic as Sirius is, and he’s the biggest drama queen there is. Anyway, Mum said that if you’re not downstairs in ten minutes, she’s going to pull out the photo albums and show them to everyone.”

      “All right,” James snapped. That had done it. The one thing that could be worse than his crush showing up at his house was his mum showing her his naked baby pictures. He shuddered at the thought. He’d prefer to face the Whomping Willow by himself.

      “Oh and James?”

      “Yeah?”

      “You might want to get dressed. I doubt that you want Lily to see you in your boxers,” she said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

      He groaned, sitting. He swung his legs over the edge. He rubbed his face, knocking his glasses out of place once more. He pushed them back up the bridge of his nose.

      He stood and stretched his arms, hearing the pop of his joints. Only seventeen years of age, and he had the body of an old man, he mused. He grabbed a shirt from the floor and sniffed. It smelled acceptable. He threw it over his head and went to his dresser for some pants.

      He threw them on, grumbling that he had to go downstairs. His mother could be irritating at times. He could risk not going, but he knew that she would stick to her guns. The whole family had to be in Gryffindor, didn’t they?

      He grumbled in front of the mirror, desperately trying to get his hair to lie flat. It was no use. They irony was that his father had multiplied the family fortune ten-fold by inventing a potion that would have taken care of that.

      “I don’t know why you even bother,” the mirror said to him. He paused to glower at it.

      Resigning to the fact that he would never tame his hair, he grabbed his wand from the nightstand, pocketed it, and disappeared from the spot with a small pop.

      He reappeared at the bottom of the stairs. The long hallway was deserted. James sighed and made his way toward the kitchen. The door at the end of the hall opened at James’ slightest touch. It swung forward, revealing the group of people sitting at a long table. His mum was sitting at the end taking a sip of her wine. She never had a meal without a glass. Euphemia Potter was a beautiful older witch and matriarch of the Potter household. James closed the door as she laughed at something Sirius had said, her grey streaked brown hair fluttering as she threw her head back. Her blue eyes twinkled as she turned to look at James.

      “Well, look who finally decided to grace us with his presence,” she said, her voice light. “I guess I won’t be digging out that old album then.”

      “You are absolutely evil,” James retorted. “Are you sure the sorting hat didn’t make a mistake?”

      “There is no such thing as a Slytherin Potter,” she replied. “You better watch it or I really will bring that photo album out.”

      “I was only joking, Mum. Please don’t.”

      “Fine,” she said. “But you’ll have to clean the library at some point this weekend.”

       James grumbled, turning to the two people to his immediate right. They were sitting directly across from Rini and Sirius, eating their sandwiches. The one closest to him was another Gryffindor boy by the name of Remus Lupin. The girl next to him was Renée Benoît.

       Remus was a prefect, also in seventh year with James and Sirius. The studious one of their group, Remus had light brown hair and brown eyes. James caught a glance of him and noticed that he was a bit peaky in complexion and possibly had a couple of fresh scars on his arm. James winced at the sight of him. That month’s full moon, which had only been a few days prior, must have been especially rough for him. James felt a twinge of guilt as he sat down in the empty seat next to Remus, across from Sirius.

       The interesting (and also tragic) thing about Remus Lupin was that he was a werewolf, bitten when he had been a young child. Transformations were always violent—no month had been any different. That was, of course, until the past year and a half when the other three had successfully become animagi.

      An animagus was a wizard who could become a specific animal at will. It took three long years, but they finally achieved it in their fifth year, able to become an animal whenever they pleased. James’ form was that of a stag, and Sirius became a dog.

      They were only able to do this undetected at school, so summer holidays were particularly tough on Remus. James often pondered about what was going to happen after the end of that seventh and final year at school. Perhaps they would all take shifts or something. They had time though. The next year would be so important for so many reasons. It made James nervous thinking about it.

      “Hey Moony,” James said to Remus.

      “Hey yourself,” he replied.

      “Bonjour, Ren,” James said over Remus’ shoulder.

       “We meet again, Mr. Potter,” she retorted.

      Renée Benoît was another seventh year Gryffindor. She was a witch of mixed race with a black father and white mother, leaving her skin a medium shade of brown. Her dark, curly hair was pulled up into a ponytail, revealing the tiny mole on her cheek. She lived down in the main part of the village, about a few miles away from the Potter Manor. James and Rini had known Renée since they were young children. Recently emigrated from France, her parents were desperate for her to make friends with other magical children. Rini and Renée had been best friends ever since. Though she technically could have also gone to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, she ultimately wanted to stay with her friends at Hogwarts.

      “No Peter then?” Remus asked after a few moments of silence.

      Peter Pettigrew was the fourth and final member of their group, self-dubbed the Marauders. He was the shortest, a little bit dumpy, with sandy blond hair and watery blue eyes. He was easily the most timid and struggled a lot with his magic, but the other three still loved him the same. Like James and Sirius, Peter was also an animagus. His form was that of a rat, earning him the name of Wormtail.

      “We got his owl day before yesterday,” James said, helping himself to one of the sandwiches. “His mum didn’t want him to come. His father is still at St. Mungo’s”

      “Well, that’s too bad,” Remus said. “But I’m sure his dad’ll be all right.”

      "I don’t know,” Sirius said slowly. “He has a pretty bad case of spattergroit.”

      “I’m sure he’ll pull through,” Euphemia said. “It’s not as if it’s dragonpox.”

      “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

      They continued to eat lunch, a fantastic spread made by Euphemia. Sirius was, as always, the most appreciative of them all. He showed this by woofing down his food as quickly as he could, easily eating twice as much any of the others.

      About half-way through lunch, the old doorbell chimed through the house, fading off into a sickly sounding ring, not unlike an unruly ghoul. They all looked up, grimacing. It chimed once more, causing Euphemia to lower her fork, looking thoughtful.

      “We really ought to fix that,” she said.

      Rini jumped out of her seat, knocking into Sirius hard, causing him to fall off of his chair. He got back up, swearing.

      “An apology would be nice,” he groaned.

      “Sorry, Sirius!” Rini yelled as she ran through the door and into the hall.

      “I’m starting to think that this place is bad for your health,” Remus said, chuckling. “Last summer, you fell off the roof!”

      “That was Prongs’ fault!” he shouted. “He’s the one who pushed me off!”

      “Details, details,” James said, sniggering. “And Dad was able to mend your arm in the end.”

      They were still laughing over the memory when Rini returned with a girl about their age. Her red hair was put up in an elegant, but messy bun. She was wearing a lovely olive green blouse with simple bell bottom jeans. She caught James’ eye, her emerald green eyes piercing through his hazel. His heart gave an uncomfortable lurch, and he swallowed hard.

      Lily Evans was also in her seventh year at Hogwarts. Another Gryffindor prefect, she was best friends with Renée and Rini. A brilliant and talented witch, James had been in love with her for the past couple of years, not that he would admit how deep his feelings were to anyone. The feeling, however, was not mutual. James recalled the time that she had told him to go jump in the lake. He had a habit of making a fool of himself whenever she was around. That day would be no different.

      “All right, Evans?” he asked with a crooked grin. _Real smooth, idiot._

      She made no reply, rolling her eyes at him. She walked away and sat down next to Renée, giving her a one-arm hug. Rini sat down across from them.

      “Right,” Euphemia said as she began clearing the table. “James, don’t forget about cleaning the library.”

      “You were serious about that?” he asked indignantly.

      “No, I’m Sirius.”

      James ignored him.

      “Well, if you don’t want me to—”

      “All right, all right,” James said, rising from his seat. “I’m going. Come on guys.”

      Sirius and Remus followed suit, standing. They pushed in their chairs and made their way to the door. They were about to leave when Euphemia opened her mouth once more.

      “Oh and boys,” she said. “No magic, okay?”

      James looked mortified. “But _Mum_ ,” he whined. “We’re of age now.”

      “I doubt that you’ve really mastered sorting spells, and I don’t want the library to catch fire,” she said, pursing her lips.

      “Fine,” James snapped.

      “There are dusters in the closet down the hall!” she called to them as they left.

      The boys headed to the library, located at the far west end of the house. This took several minutes, largely due to the house’s vast size. Potter Manor was only rivaled by Malfoy Manor, in which James had never stepped foot. Sirius, however, had been forced to go a few galas with his family in his youth. James had been told of the tales of dressing in fancy dress robes with his brother Regulus and being forced to socialize with the Malfoy’s son Lucius.

      They each grabbed a feather duster from the hall closet, just outside of the library. James opened one of the heavy oak doors, and the other two followed him through the doorway into the library. It was set in a massive circular room with a high ceiling and built-in shelving. The room was bathed in warm light, cascading down from the glass ceiling above them. There were books scattered all throughout the room, strewn about on a few of the maroon armchairs and tables. A thick layer of dust had settled over the entire room.

      “This is going to take all day,” Remus said, running a finger across one of the end tables.

      “Well we better get started,” James replied bitterly.

      They started from the top down. Sirius, being the tallest, was designated to the only ladder. He passed books down to the other two. They had also taken rags from the closet and were using them to dust off the books. Once dust-free, they placed them into various stacks in an attempt to reorganize them. Once they got a shelf cleared, Sirius passed his feather duster along it furiously, showering the other two in a thick grey snow. Soon, the floor was littered with leaning stacks of books.

      “You guys have an awful lot of Muggle books,” Remus commented as Sirius handed him _Sense and Sensibility_.

      “Rini,” James replied absent-mindedly, plopping down on the floor.

      “Huh?” Sirius said, stopping abruptly.

      “Uh yeah,” James replied. “Most of them are hers. She has a thing for Muggle romance novels or something.”

      “She’s so strange.”

      James made no reply, crossing his legs. He sighed, throwing a book aside and putting his head in his hands. Sirius and Remus gave each other a puzzled look.

      “You okay, Prongsy?”

      “It’s hopeless,” he muttered.

      “What’s hopeless?” Remus said.

      “He’s hopeless,” Sirius replied.

      “Well, besides that.”

      “Lily,” James blurted out. “She’s going to hate me forever, isn’t she?”

      “I wouldn’t say that,” Remus said encouragingly. “I’m sure she’ll come around eventually. Just stop acting like an idiot around her.”

      “Or he could just become Head Boy,” Sirius piped in. “That would impress her.”

      “Yeah, like that could ever happen,” James replied sarcastically.

      “Stranger things have happened.”

      James shook his head before getting up. He kneeled down and started going through the stacks again, preparing them to be re-shelved. It would have taken no time if his mother had let them do magic. Even to simply dust would have saved some time. What was the use of being a wizard if you couldn’t do magic? He took a book from one stack and threw it onto another. It tumbled over, the books spilling to the floor like dominos. Cursing, he fumbled to his feet and began picking them up.

      “You better not be destroying all of my books in there.”

      James lifted his head to see the girls standing in the doorway, Rini in the very front. She had her hands on her hips, her brow furrowed. Renée rolled her eyes at her. Lily was leaning against the wall in the hallway, giving them a side-glance.

      “If you’re so bothered,” Sirius said. “You could help us.”

      “And take away all the fun from you guys?” she said. “No way.”

      James ignored his sister. He gazed at Lily longingly, his mouth slightly agape. She was now looking away from them, inspecting her fingernails. He knew that she was trying to avoid him on purpose. It was obvious. Why did she have to do that? She broke briefly, her eyes snapping up to stare back—those emerald irises would forever haunt his soul.

      “Potter, what are you looking at?” she snapped.

      “Nothing,” he muttered, averting his eyes.

      “C’mon,” Lily said. “Let’s go up to Rini’s room.”

      The three of them turned and left, Rini sticking her tongue out at them as they went. Sirius went up the ladder with a small stack, slamming them on the top shelf.

      “Oh, I’ll get back at them for this,” he muttered.

      “Now Sirius…” Remus began.

      “Who does she think she is?” he hissed. “Little miss princess.”

      “Oh, shut it!” James said, throwing a book at him. Sirius barely dodged it, the book missing by an inch. The ladder wobbled, and he had to grab both sides to steady it. “It’s no use complaining, Pads. My parents favor her.”

       Sirius made no response, choosing instead to grumble to himself. Remus shook his head at him, chuckling as they got back to work. James heaved a sigh and carried on, thoughts of red hair and green eyes plaguing his mind.

               

       Cleaning the library took up the greater portion of the day. By the time they were finished, it was time for dinner. The three boys threw the dusters back in the hall closet and made their way back to the kitchen, the nice weather wasted. His mum was so pleased with them that she let them use magic to set the table. They used their wands, finally having a moment of enjoyment. In the excitement, a few plates crashed to the floor. Euphemia rolled her eyes and with a wave of her wand, they flew back onto the shelf in a stack, completely intact.

       Once the table had been adorned with eight table settings, Euphemia called the girls down. They straggled in a few minutes later and plopped themselves down. James frowned as Lily put as much distance in between them as possible, sitting far diagonal from him, next to Rini and across from Renée.

       Fleamont Potter showed up ten minutes later, looking tired and grey as he sat down at the head of the table. He flashed a smile at his wife from across the table before helping himself to some cauliflower cheese. The rest of them had already loaded their plated with a bit of everything and were enjoying pleasant conversation.

       Sirius had seemingly forgotten all about his grudge as he sat chatting with Rini next to him. James paused in the middle of biting a roasted potato to observe the two. Sirius had laughed at something she had said and was now whispering something in her ear. She giggled at whatever it had been, her cheeks becoming flushed. James chewed his potatoes slowly. What the bloody hell was going on? He raised his eyebrows, now taking a bite of his pork, before finally getting distracted by something Remus had said. When he diverted his attention back to the two, they were back to eating in silence. He might have been imaging it, but he could have sworn he saw an expression on Sirius’ face that he had never seen.

       Dinner lasted for a bit after that, the girls finishing first. They cleared their plates and headed back upstairs to Rini’s room. The guys lingered for awhile, inquiring about Fleamont’s latest potion. He was quite amused as they pressed him for more information.

       “Now boys,” he said. “This is serious work—not to be used for some silly prank.”

       “Oh c’mon, Dad,” James said. “Us thinking of using it for something like that? Now where did you ever get such an idea?”

       “No idea, son,” his father replied with a wink. His wife gave an exasperated sigh.

       “All right you three,” she said. “Unless you plan on helping me with the dishes, I suggest that you get out of my way.”

       “Right,” Sirius said. “Let’s go up to your room then, James.”

       “Yeah, all right,” he replied.

       They cleared off their plates and left Euphemia and Fleamont to do the dishes. Fleamont was levitating the plates of leftover Yorkshire puddings as they were leaving the room. They walked down the hall and climbed the staircase, going up two flights before they reached the floor on which James’ room was located. They began to make their way towards the end of the hallway, but stopped when they heard a voice coming out of an open doorway.

        “Hey, James!”

        The three backtracked, piling into Rini’s room. It was like being thrown into the outside world. The walls were painted midnight blue, and she had secretly bewitched the ceiling to sparkle like the stars above them. There was a breeze coming from the open bay window. James peered down to see his sister and Renée sitting on the floor, a stack of old Witch Weekly issues lying between them.

        “So,” Rini said with a smirk. “Still making a fool of yourself in front of Lily, huh?”

        “How can someone so tiny be so immensely irritating?”

        “Pure talent.” She grinned and winked at him. “Oh c’mon. You know you love me.”

        “Only because Mum would disown me if I murdered you.”

        “Oh shut up.”

        “Well, maybe you shouldn’t provok—”

        He stopped short of his sentence at the sound of screeching coming from the window. They all turned to see a couple of barn owls sitting on the windowsill, three letters each in their beaks. Remus made his way over to them and retrieved the envelopes. The owls flapped their wings hard as they turned around, facing the night. They flew off, making a loud swoosh in their exit.

         “How do they always know where to find us?” Remus said in astonishment as he tossed a letter to Sirius. James took his own from Remus’ hand.

         “Hang on,” Sirius said as he began to open his letter, watching Remus hand the girls theirs. “Where _is_ Evans anyway?”

         “I think she must be still down in the library,” Renée said.

         “Yeah,” Rini said. “She went down a little while ago. I said she could borrow a few of my books to read.”

         “Ah,” Sirius said. “You hear that, Prongs? Now’s your chance to talk to Evans. Go down and give her her letter. Perfect opportunity, right Prongs? Uh…Prongs?”

         James didn’t reply. He was staring at his letter, a metal badge in one of his hands. Sirius and Remus walked over and looked over his shoulder at the letter. The silver badge adorned with the letters HB sparked in the candlelight.

         “I don’t believe it,” Sirius muttered.

         “I guess congrats are in order then, Prongs,” Remus said, hitting a still-stunned James on the back.

         Rini also stood, her brow furrowed. She waltzed over to the boys, pushing Sirius out of the way before snatching the letter out of her brother’s hand. She read it, mouthing the words as she went along. “Head Boy?” she yelped, staring at James, eyes wide.

         “This had to be some mistake,” James muttered.

         “‘Fraid not,” Remus said.

         “Oh, I’ll never hear the end of this now!” Rini moaned. “Mum and Dad will be talking about this until the day I die.”

         “Just become Head Girl next year.” Renée said. “That’ll fix your problem.”

         “Like that’ll ever happen.”

         “Well, your brother was made Head Boy, and we all know that there had been a better chance of You-Know-Who dropping dead of a heart attack than that happening.”

         “I guess that means the war is over now,” Rini said bitterly “Hallelujah!”

         “Not to interrupt this erm—riveting conversation,” Remus interjected. “But someone still needs to go give Lily her letter.”

         James sighed, taking it from Remus. “I’ll do it. It’s what you all want anyway, isn’t it?”

         “Good luck, James!” Rini called as he exited the room. He waved his head above his head offhandedly in response as he crossed over the threshold.

 

         James walked down the stairs, stuffing his own letter and badge as he went. He fiddled with the envelope in his hand. It felt heavy and lumpy—just like his own had. It was safe to conclude that a Head Girl badge rested in there. He grimaced at the thought of nighttime patrols. While it would be nice to have an excuse to be alone with her, it wasn’t helpful when she practically loathed him.

         He exhaled as he reached the bottom landing and went down the corridor. There were murmurs coming from the kitchen as he passed—his parents must have still been in there. He continued on toward the library. It was silent except for the sounds of his footsteps and the hammering of his heart.

         He reached the double doors of the library, his pulse quickening. Trying to get his hand to stop shaking, he placed it on the handle and inhaled sharply. He closed his eyes for a moment before tugging it forward.

         He entered the room, gently closing the door behind him. At first it appeared to be empty. Then he saw her. She was curled up on one end of the loveseat, feet tucked up to her chest. Her head was down, arms wrapped around her shoulders, concealing her face. James stood paralyzed for a moment, unsure of what to do—until he heard what sounded like crying.

         “All right there, Evans?”

         She flinched at the sound of his voice. They remained there, suspended in time for a moment. Eventually, she lifted her head up, staring at him with tumultuous eyes. Her face was tear-stained. James rushed to her, plopping down next to her and dropping the letter between them.

         “Hey—what’s wrong?”

         “It’s nothing,” she said, turning her head.

         “I don’t believe you,” he said, reaching for her. He cupped her chin in his hand, steering her face back toward him. They sat motionless as he stared intently at her with an intensity that caused her heart to miss a beat. Her eyes sparkled with a vulnerability that he had never before witnessed from her. In that moment, all of her walls crumbled.

         She withdrew from him, wiping her eyes with her shirt. “I don’t want to burden you would my problems,” she said.

         “Listen to me,” he said. “You are not a burden.”

         “I—” she said, stopping short when their gaze locked once more. His eyes caught her off guard. Since when were they so kind, so caring—so gorgeous? A blush began to creep upon her face.

         “Lily, you can talk to me.”

         It was so stupid. Of all the people to interrupt her while she was having an emotional breakdown, it had to be James Potter—the stupid prat who had an inexplicable habit of infuriating her. Yet, there he was, gazing at her with so much concern etched upon his handsome face. What harm would it do to tell him?

         “I had a fight with my sister before coming here today.”

         “Your sister?”

         “Yeah. She’s got this new boyfriend.” Lily made a face. “He’s quite awful. Don’t know what she she’s in him. Anyway, we got into it before Dad drove me here from Cokeworth. She told me that she didn’t want a freak like me around him.”

         “That’s horrible,” James responded. “Why do you put up with that?”

         “I mean, she is my sister,” she said. “But I guess I don’t belong anywhere.”

         “What do you mean?”

         “Well,” she said, casting her eyes down as she rung her hands together. “I’m neither here nor there. Not quite a Muggle, not quite a witch. My own sister hates me. It cost me a good friend. I feel like there’s no place for me.”

          “Evans,” James said, taking one of her hands into his. “You listen to me. You are just as much of a witch as any of us. And your sister can go fuck off as far as I am concerned.”

          “James—”

          “And as far as having a place for you, you can always find one here.”

          She stared at him, incredulous. Where did this James Potter come from? It wasn’t what she was used to. Is this what he was like without a bunch of people to watch him? It was so refreshing that she almost forgot that she was supposed to hate him.

          “Thank you.”

          No one spoke. There was a pregnant pause between them. James’s hand was still over hers. They both peered down at the same time. Lily jumped, removing hers. James cleared his throat.

          “Anyway,” he said, picking up the letter and handing it to her. “I have something that might cheer you up. Feels heavy. Could mean that someone was made Head Girl.”

          She took it from him a bit eagerly. He saw the first smile on her face since he had been there. She ripped the envelope and tipped it so a silver badge fell into her lap. James watched her intently as she read the letter silently to herself.

          “Well,” she said, stuffing it back into the envelope. “Mum and Dad will be pleased. _And_ I can shove this into Petunia’s face.”

          “That’ll show her,” James said with a lopsided smile.

          “I wonder who the Head Boy is,” she said, staring down at her badge.

          “Yeah,” James said, his voice cracking slightly. “Should be interesting.”

          “Is it Remus?”

          “No, don’t think so.”

          “It must be someone from another house.”

          Should he just tell her it’s him? James wasn’t sure if he should reveal that information to her yet. They were finally having a civil conversation. Would telling her that she would be stuck with him almost every night ruin that? Probably. So, he kept his mouth shut.

          “I think I’m going to go to bed,” Lily said, snapping him out of his thoughts. She stood up and stretched. The badge fell to the floor. She bent down quickly, picking it back up. “You coming too?”

          “You go ahead. I think I might stay here awhile. Admire all of my hard work,” he replied, flashing a warm smile at her.

          “Okay,” she said, tucking what looked like a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ under her arm, her letter now tucked inside of the cover. “See you in the morning then.”

          “Night, Evans.”

          “James?”

           His heart skipped at the sound of his first name upon her lips. “Hmm?”

           “Thanks again.”

           “It’s no trouble.”

           She graced him with a small smile before turning to leave. He watched her go, his emotions running wild. Once she had gone, he retrieved his own badge from his pocket. Maybe he should have told her. He might not get another chance before they were back at school. She might be more pissed at him for keeping it a secret. Running his fingers through his hair, he stared at the metal trinket, the thing responsible for his newest dilemma. He remained there for some time, wondering how the bloody hell he was going to make it through this year.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and friends eat breakfast after Rini nearly burns down the house. He starts being friendly with Lily, and they all go outside for some Quidditch practice. Emotions are running wild as they all discover new feelings for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter has arrived. Thank you for all of the support for this story so far. It's been really encouraging. I appreciate all reviews and likes and reblogs on tumblr. 
> 
> Anyway, here is the next chapter. Things really start to heat up, and the teenage awkwardness continues.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Sarah
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.

Chapter Two

                James groaned in his bed, throwing his pillow over his head as the sunlight came in through the window, burning his retinas. Why did he have to have the bedroom on the most east side of the house? The lack of adequate sleep was surely going to kill him. He’d be lucky to make it to twenty-two. He lay there wondering if he should invest in some thick drapes—or at least get some cheap ones that he could charm the hell out of.

                He shifted uneasily in his bed, thrashing back and forth, trying to capture remnants of any more sleep. He violently shoved the pillow over his head, in a fruitless attempt at blocking out the intense rays of sunshine. Although it was better, he could not get back to his slumber. It was no use. Even if the sun weren’t trying to permanently blind him, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep more anyway, his mind too preoccupied to settle down.

                Try as hard as he might, he couldn’t get the conversation with Lily from the previous night out of his head. He went over it again and again and again in his brain. Her tears. What he learned about her family. The small smile she gave him in response to his kind words. All of it.

                He couldn’t help but feel a small bubble of hope swell inside of him. Maybe there was a chance there after all—a chance at _something_. Maybe she didn’t hate him. Maybe they could be friends. It would be enough for him. It would be a start.

                He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. There would be no point lying there now. Yesterday, there had been no reason for him to get up. Today—something was different. It was going to be a good day. He could feel it in his bones.

                James slid his body out of his bed, feeling the cold floor under his feet. He briefly stretched his back before standing. Having already taken a shower before going to bed, he grabbed a fresh tee shirt and some jeans along with some new boxers—red with golden snitches. He threw on his clothes and headed out the door.

                He walked down the hall, passing Rini’s room as he approached the stairs. He paused in front of it, knowing that Lily was probably on the other side of the door. He wondered how she was doing. He hoped that she was feeling better, but knew that she would eventually be all right. She always was in the end.

                He went down to the floor below, where Sirius’ room was located. When he had first come to live with them last summer, the Potters had converted one of the guest bedrooms into his own. Remus was sleeping in there for the week. They had other guest bedrooms, but Euphemia didn’t want them messing them all up. James could have joined them last night, but after his encounter with Lily, he had needed time alone to think.

                He gently knocked on the door, giving it a few slow raps. After no response, he tried a second time, a little harder, but there was still no reply. Taking a breath, he turned the handle and entered the room.

                It was dark. The heavy drapes were drawn, blocking out whatever moderate sunlight was trying to break through. They were both still in the queen-sized bed, oblivious to the world. Sirius was on his side, his arm draped over Remus’ chest. Remus was snoring softly, sprawled out like a starfish. James grinned at them, doing his best to suppress the roaring laughter that threatened to escape his lips. He only wished he had a camera on him. This was too precious. But, all good things must come to an end. Time to burst their bubble.

                “Oi!” he shouted. “You two princesses going to get up?!”

                The two of them sprang upward, slightly disoriented. Sirius accidentally smacked Remus in the nose in all the commotion. His eyes welled as he covered it with his hands. Sirius looked around, and once his eyes had rested on James, who had been standing at the end of the bed, he began to glower at him.

                “What the fuck, Prongs?” He glanced over at Remus, who was still holding his nose. “Oh sorry, Moony.”

                “It s’okay,” came his muffled reply.

                “Anyway,” Sirius said, shooting James a dirty look. “What gives? We were sleeping here.”

                “See how it feels,” James said, crossing his arms.

                “You are a right git, you know that?”

                “Love you, too.”

                “Well my nose doesn’t seem to be broken,” Remus said, interrupting them. “But thank you for your concern.”

                Sirius turned and slid out of the bed, slipping his slippers. Remus waited a few moments before doing the same. The two weren’t even bothering to get fully dressed, choosing to just throw on their dressing gowns instead. Sirius was tying the sash around his when there was a crash from below them.

                “What was that?” Remus said.

                “Dunno,” replied James. “‘Suppose we should check it out.”

                They hurried out of Sirius’ bedroom and went down the stairs. There was another crash. It seemed to be coming from the kitchen. James raised an eyebrow, and the trio made their way toward the kitchen, wands out. Sirius was the one to open the door. Relief washed over them when they saw that it was only Rini.

                She was crouched on the floor, dustpan in one of her hands, frantically trying to sweep large chunks of Corel off the floor. Her hair rested on top of her head in a messy bun. She was still in her dressing gown—a light pink floral one that flowed in all directions as she moved about the kitchen.

                “Rini, what the bloody hell are you doing?”

                “What does it look like I’m doing?” She made a face. “I’m making breakfast, dummy.”           

                There were dirty mixing bowls scattered along the counter. Steam was being emitted from the pans on the stove. Rini frantically moved about the kitchen, stirring the contents in each pan while she continued to build on the stack of toast with each pop of the toaster. They boys sat down at the table, observing her every move.

                “Where are Mum and Dad?” James asked.

                “Don’t you remember?” Rini said, turning around, spatula still in her hand. “They have that dinner thing tonight, so they’re out running errands.”

                Errands? James checked his watched. It was half past ten. “And you decided to cook breakfast?”

                “What? You don’t think I can manage it?”

                “I never said that.”

                “Do you guys smell something?” Remus asked, scrunching up his nose.

                “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” Rini said, running to snatch an oven mitt from the far end of the counter. She rushed back to the oven, slipping in her socks. She caught herself, placing a hand on the floor preventing her from falling completely.

                She opened the oven door, letting a cloud of smoke to billow into the kitchen. She set a tin of what looked like black muffins on the counter. She reached for the window handle above the sink and began to violently crank it open. She struggled with it as the room continued to fill with more smoke.

                Sirius sighed, getting up. He pulled out his wand, and with one wave, the window was completely open. He crossed over to where she was fanning the muffins. With another flick of his wand, they had turned from black to golden brown. It was now apparent that they were blueberry.

                “Here,” he said, taking the oven mitt from her. He tossed it aside. “Let me help you.”

                “I’m fine,” she huffed. “I don’t need your help.”

                “Well, _excuse me_ , princess,” said Sirius, throwing his hands up. “If you don’t need my help—fine then.”

                He turned to go sit back down. He was stopped, however, by Rini’s hand on his wrist. He tilted his head in her direction. Her face was down, eyes on the floor. She was biting her other thumb and muttering something inaudible. A smile tugged at the corners of Sirius’ lips.

                “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

                “Fine,” she grumbled. “You can help if you want.”

                James and Remus watched idly as Sirius got to work maintaining the kitchen. He waved his wand around like a mad-man. Spatulas were stirring on their own. The bowls levitated to the sink where the faucet had been turned on, the water rising to fill it so that they could soak. Milk and condiments hovered out of the fridge and settled in the center of the table. Rini put on the kettle.

                “Since when did Padfoot become so domesticated?” Remus commented as he poured himself a glass of milk.

                “No idea,” James replied.

                “Did you give Lily her letter last night?”

                “Uh, yeah.”

                “How did that go?”

                “It was okay…” James replied, eyes still on his best friend and his sister. Sirius bumped her shoulder with his. She replied by sticking her tongue out cheekily. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

                “Shoot.”

                “Do you think that there’s something going on between them?” James said, jerking his head in the direction of Sirius and Rini.

             “I don’t think so,” Remus said slowly. “I mean Sirius would have said something to me about it. Why?”

                “Nothing,” James said as the two of them started bringing everything to the table. “Never mind. Forget it.”

                “LILY! RENEE! GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE! BREAKFAST IS READY!”

                “Rini,” James said. “Are you trying to invite the whole village or something?”

                She scowled at him as they heard movement above them. A few minutes later, Renee and Lily walked through the doorway and into the kitchen. Renee, like Sirius and Remus, was still in her dressing gown. Lily, however, had bothered to get dressed, wearing a simple tee shirt and jeans. Her hair was down that morning.

                “Rini, what’s all this?” Lily asked, gesturing to the half-dozen platters piled high with food as she sat down.

                “I made breakfast!” she exclaimed in response.

                Sirius cleared his throat loudly and shot her a dangerous look. She instantly faltered.

                “I mean Sirius and I made breakfast,” she said through gritted teeth.

                “What she really means,” Sirius said. “Is that I rescued the princess here.”

                “Oh shut up,” she replied, playfully smacking his arm. He held it, mocking pain as she helped herself to a piece of toast. “It’s a celebratory breakfast to the new Head Boy and Girl.”

                Lily dropped her fork. It hit the plate with loud clink. “Wait,” she said, staring intensely at James. “I thought you said that Remus didn’t get Head Boy.”

                “Uhh…”

                “You didn’t tell her?” Rini exclaimed. “Oh my god. You are hopeless, aren’t you?”

                “I’m glad someone agrees with me on that one,” Sirius said with a grin.

                “Will someone please tell me what is going on?” Lily demanded.

                Remus cleared his throat. “I’m not Head Boy…because James is,” he said before picking up a ration of bacon and shoving it into his mouth.

                Lily whipped her head back in his direction. She gaped at him, unable to find her words. It had to be some sort of a joke, right? There was no way that Dumbledoor could have— _Oh God!_ It was true, wasn’t it? She was going to have to spend her last year not only living in the same dorm and attending almost every since class with that boy, but also conducting nightly patrols with him as well? She couldn’t believe it. The universe had a funny way of showing her that it was on her side.

                “Why didn’t you tell me last night?” She asked. She was surprised when it came out soft, almost a whisper.

                “I—didn’t know how to,” James replied, his voice also soft.

                “Um, congrats, I guess,” she said, plastering on a small smile.

                “Thanks,” he said, grinning broadly at her. “You too.”

                “Thank you.”

                The table had fallen into an easy silence as they ate breakfast. There was small talk here and there. However, the fact of the matter was that they were too preoccupied with food that none of them cared much for conversing. It was steadily approaching noon before any of them made a move to leave the table. Rini was the first one, taking plates to the sink as the others chatted idly. Half-way through watching her wash them by hand, Sirius hopped to his feet, wand in hand to help her once more. She swatted him with the hand towel at first, but let him assist in the end. He took to washing while she dried and put the dishes away.

                “So who’s up for some Quidditch outside?” Sirius asked while Rini was putting away the last dish.

                Renee groaned. “Do we have to?”

                “I’m in!” Rini said.

                Lily sighed, shaking her head. “Of course she is.”

                “It would be nice to get outside in good weather for once,” James said. “Considering we didn’t get the chance yesterday.”

                “We could have before lunch if _someone_ wasn’t being stubborn and refusing to come out of his room,” Sirius commented.

                “Oh shut up, Padfoot.”

                The majority of them went back upstairs to change, considering they were all still in their pajamas. Riding brooms meant proper clothing. This left Lily and James alone to wait for the others. They sat in uncomfortable silence for several minutes. James went over what he wanted to say multiple times in his head. Lily was doing the same. It was him, however, who broke the ice.

                “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last night.”

                She picked her head up to look back at him. “Why didn’t you?”

                “I don’t know,” he said running his hand through his hair. What used to be a cry for female attention had turned into a sort of nervous habit. “I wasn’t sure how you would react. I didn’t want to upset you even more.”

                “I—” she said, taken aback. It wasn’t as if he chose this on purpose. What _had_ upset her was the fact that he hadn’t told her in the end. Why though? She swallowed, knowing what had to be said. “I don’t hate you, James.”

                It was true. She didn’t hate him. She had even thought about it that night while lying in Rini’s bed. She never actually hated him—just some of his actions. Deep down she knew that he was good and kind and brave—all the things she needed in a friend. Constantly keeping him at arm’s length wasn’t doing either of them any good.

                James sucked in a breath. It was as if this heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. She didn’t hate him. Had he heard her correctly? Was this all a dream? He pinched his arm. Nope. Not a dream. He beamed at her. Maybe this was the start if their new friendship. Maybe.

                “Anyway,” she said, changing the subject abruptly. “You didn’t tell anyone—”

                “About last night? No, of course not.”

                She exhaled. “Good. I was having a bad day. I don’t want to worry the girls.”

                “Your secret is safe with me.”

                “Thanks.”

                “Evans, can I ask you something?”

                She pursed her lips. “Depends.”

                “Do you know if there’s anything going on with my sister and Sirius?”

                Relief washed over her for a split second. She had been worried that he might try to ask her out again. Though she was warming up the thought of being on friendly terms with him, dating him would be out of the question. This, however, was much easier to answer.

                “So, you noticed it too,” she said, cocking her eyebrow. “She hasn’t said anything to me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

                “Okay…so I’m not crazy?”

                “Well…”

                “Evans!”

                A laugh escaped her lips, causing his heart to flutter. “Not about that, no,” she replied. “Look, if you’re so concerned, just talk to him.”

                “Hey, are you two coming?”

                They turned to see Rini in the doorway, the others passing by. James got up, waving his sister to carry on. His gaze returned to Lily.

                “I guess we better go join them.”

                “Guess so.”

 

                The six of them strolled out into the brightly lit garden. There was a vast clearing just beyond Mrs. Potter’s vegetable patch. They strode over to it, the blazing sun beating down on them. Rini and Sirius lead the pack, heading toward the small shed, which lay at the edge of the clearing. The birds were chirping from the surrounding trees, their songs echoing all around them. The sound of rustling leaves came from when a warm breeze had cut through.

                They reached the shed without much tribulation. James pried open the door, which frequently stuck due to its rusty hinges. It was dark inside. A spider hung above his head as he entered. The brooms were stored in a corner. He grabbed his Nimbus 1500 and his old Nimbus 1000, which was now Rini’s broom. He piled them under his arms as he snatched up Sirius’ broom as well as a spare.

                “All right you lot,” he said as he emerged and passed Sirius and Rini their brooms. He was looking at Remus, Renee, and Lily. “ _One_ of you has to play. We can’t have an odd number.”

                “I’ll take one both of you at once,” Sirius said.

                “Oh, shut it, Pads. We would cream you,” James replied before going back into the shed for an old football. He came out after a minute, ball in hand. “Well?”

                Remus raised his hand reluctantly. “I guess I’ll do it.”

                “Atta boy, Moony.”

                The four of them took to their brooms, kicking off from the ground. Though the clearing was mostly surrounded by woods, they were careful not to fly too high in case there were any Muggles who had decided to take a hike. They took turns throwing the football around, trying to score in one of the make-shift hoops on the edge of the clearing. When they got bored with that, they came up with some games to help work their skills.

                Lily and Renee sat at the edge of the field, watching the boys and Rini as they flew around. Lily started by following Rini’s flight pattern, but her eyes kept wandering to James. His body was soon covered with sweat, making his muscles gleam on the sunlight. Not after long, she found that she was unable to take her eyes off of him.

                “Enjoying the view?”

                She jumped at the sound of Renee’s voice, breaking her gaze with James on his broom. She turned her head to see her friend grinning at her mischievously. While Rini was easily the most extroverted and meddlesome of her friends, Renee could be as much of a busybody when she felt like it. Lily frowned at her.

                “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

                “Suuureee,” teased Renee. “Come off it Lils. You can’t deny that he is attractive.”

                “Yes, I can,” she replied, her face burning.

                “Then why are you blushing?”

                “That’s just sunburn.”

                A laugh erupted from Renee’s chest. Lily glared at her, her cheeks getting even redder. What was the matter with her? Why was she getting flustered from the mention of James Potter? Sure, she would admit, though to no one other than herself, that he was physically attractive. However, just because she thought that he was kind of hot didn’t mean that she liked him.

                She was about to retort when they heard a voice calling from the house.

                “James! Serena!”

                James turned his head toward the house mid-air. He groaned, rolling his eyes, before touching back down on the ground. He swung his broom so it rested on his shoulder.

                “Mum and Dad must be back,” he said, staring at the house in the distance.

                “Sounds like you’re in trouble,” Lily said.

                “Nah,” replied James. “I don’t see why we would be. I mean we _did_ clean up the kitchen.”

                “Well, with your mum,” Renee commented. “You never know.”

                “James! Serena! Sirius!”

                “We’ll be there in a few minutes!” James called back, his hands cupped around his mouth. He turned his attention to his friends above. “Hey, guys! Looks like our fun is over!”

                “Finally,” breathed Remus, who was the first one after James to come down to the ground.

                Rini came down next, followed by Sirius, who did a few more tricks on his broom before his feet made contact with the grass once more.

                “Show-off,” Rini muttered as he approached them.

                “We better go see what Mum wants,” James said.

                “I’ll put everything back,” Sirius offered.

                James handed over his broom, saying “thanks.” Remus did the same. James started walking toward the house. Remus, Lily, and Renee followed behind. Rini, however, stayed behind and followed Sirius to the shed. He paused when he noticed her presence.

                “You don’t need to help me,” he said as she stuck out her broom. He took it from her and put it away with the other brooms. The football had been chucked inside without a second thought.

                “I know,” she said as he closed the door. “I wanted to thank you for this morning.”

                “Think nothing of it,” he said. “I wasn’t about to jeopardize my food.”

                “Ah yes,” she retorted. “Can’t have the great Sirius Black starving, now can we?”

                “Glad to see that you recognize my greatness.”

                “You are so full of yourself,” she said before casting a look at the others, who were still making their way to the house. “It’s such a shame.”

                “What is?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

                “Lily and James,” she replied, gesturing at them. “You know they’d be perfect for each other if they would just get their act together.”

                “What makes you think so?”

                “I just know, okay?” she said, her eyes narrowing. “When it comes to matters of the heart, I’m a bit of an expert, you know.”

                Sirius snorted, causing Rini to glower at him. He took a step forward so that their bodies were only inches apart. “Have you ever been in a relationship?”

                “Well,” she said, her voice jumping up an octave. “No, I actually haven’t?”

                “Why not?” he said, tilting his head towards her. She was easily a head shorter than him. She gazed up at him, her sparkling sapphire eyes wide. There was a foreign feeling stirring deep in the put of his stomach. What was happening to him?

                “It’s not like I haven’t had interest in anyone,” she said. “You and I both know that my brother would kick the ass of any guy who came within five feet of me.”

                “He hasn’t attacked Remus and me yet today.”

                Rini shook her head. She shuffled uneasily, kicking the dirt with one foot. “You know what I mean. You two are his friends. You don’t count.”

                “Who says I don’t count?”

                “That’s not what I mean Sirius,” she whispered.

                He inched his face closer to hers. “Then,” he said gruffly. “What _do_ you mean?”

                Their faces were inches apart at the point. Rini could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheeks, making it hard to tell if the warmth was from that or if she were blushing. It was hard not to feel something when Sirius Black was staring at her. His black hair fell elegantly into his face. And that _smile_. She had always melted a bit any time she saw it. His eyes were penetrating her own, tearing down all walls, and begging for all of her secrets.

                He didn’t know what his problem was. As he stood there gazing into those blue orbs, thoughts of pushing her against the side of the shed and crashing his lips against hers entered his mind. Never before did this ever once occur to him. He shouldn’t even have these thoughts. She was his best mates’ sister. She was forbidden territory.

                He tried to think of something else—anything else. This was not happening to him. He shouldn’t—couldn’t do this. She was his sister! His pulse quickened as she leaned forward, now on her toes. He closed his eyes.

                “Hey! Are you two coming or not?”

                They both jumped back at the sound of James’ voice. The others had stopped half-way, waiting for them to catch up. Sirius exhaled. That had been close. Too close. What was his problem? Did he have so much pent up frustration that he wanted to jump any female that crossed his path?

                They walked back, silent at first. When they were almost with the others, Rini finally spoke.

                “It’s too bad that we can’t find a way to get them together.”

                “Who says that we can’t?”

                Rini turned, gawking at him. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Was he really willing to join her in her meddlesome matchmaking antics? He usually scoffed at her for such things. What had changed?

                “What did you have in mind?”

                They had caught up with their friends. Sirius and Rini hung back slightly as they followed them to the house. They talked in hushed tones, weary of being overheard. James glanced back at them, eyes narrowing when Sirius leaned down to whisper in her ear. She stifled a giggle in her hand before tugging him down by his shirt to whisper something back.

                They re-entered the house, one at a time, Sirius and Rini bringing up the rear. As they made their way to the front of the house, they checked for signs of either of the Potters. There wasn’t a sign of either of them in the north end of the house. It hadn’t been until they stopped by the kitchen because Sirius had complained that he was starving that they found Euphemia.

               She was standing in the back, unloading some shopping. She heard them as they entered the kitchen. She turned, smiling at them, taking James aback. He had been anticipating being yelled at for some stupid reason. However, at that moment, she seemed to be in a good mood, luckily.

                “There you are,” she said. “I thought I was going to have to send the ministry out to find you.”

                James rolled his eyes, ignoring her comment. He could see where his obnoxious side came from. His attention was directed to all of the food on the counter.

                “What’s all of this?” he asked.

                “Snacks for you lot tonight,” she said. “I got all of your favorites.”

                “Mum,” he said. “You didn’t have to do that.”

                She bristled at his comment. “Well I wanted to do something nice for my children. Is that okay? I even went out and got a bunch of Muggle snacks for Lily.”

                Rini nearly dropped her half-eaten muffin. “You actually went into a Muggle shop.”

                “Well, your father was with me,” she said, arranging the food. “He’s always been much better with these sorts of things.”

                Rini gawked at her. “I still can’t picture you and Dad in a Muggle shop.”

                “Anyway,” she said, ignoring her daughter. “I wasn’t sure what you like, dear, so I got you a variety of things.”

                “Oh, you didn’t have to do that—” Lily started, her cheeks turning pink.

                “Nonsense,” she said, reaching out and patting on of Lily’s cheeks. “I want you to feel at home.”

                Lily mumbled her thanks and went over to help Euphemia with the food. She saw many of her favorites—both Muggle and wizard. There were a few unsavory choices as well. She had to suppress a laugh when she saw a jar of Marmite hiding between a couple bags of crisps.

                “I’m going to go shower,” Remus said suddenly. “I’ll see you upstairs.”

                He slinked out of the kitchen without another word. Sirius went to follow, but was stopped by James’s hand on his shoulder. He responded with a puzzled expression on his face. James pointed at his mother, and he groaned, remembering that being an honorary member of the Potter family meant that he wouldn’t be able to leave until he was officially dismissed.

                “Are you sure you guys will be all right?”

                “Mum,” James whined. “We’ll be _fine_. You worry too much.”

                “Oh, all right,” she said before hugging him tightly. “Your father and I will be leaving around six, but I don’t expect us to be back before midnight. You know how to reach us in an emergency.”

                “Of course.”

                James and the others began to move to leave. They were almost at the door when Euphemia spoke once more.

                “Oh before I forget, your father finally managed to figure out how to use that veesacar.”

                Rini rolled her eyes. “It’s called a VCR, Mum.”

                “Whatever,” she said. “The point is that it’s working now.”

                “Sweet,” Rini said. She was bouncing up and down on her toes. “Let’s go check it out!”

                They all walked out, Sirius and James taking the rear. The girls began to go down the hallway in the direction of one of the sitting rooms. Sirius made to follow them, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

                “Hang on, Sirius,” James said. “I want to ask you something.”

                “Uh sure,” he said, wheeling around to face James. “What is it?”

                “What’s going on between you and my sister?”

                All of the color drained out of his face. Shit. How much had he seen? They had been far enough away that he was sure that no one could actually see what had been going on, but what if James had some sort of bionic vision? Who knew what kind of superhero vision he got from those glasses. Sirius would never know. He had never needed them. Sirius swallowed, but the phlegm didn’t want to clear out of his throat. He coughed a couple of times.

                “N—nothing,” he sputtered. “What makes you think that?”

                James studied his face. “I don’t know—something seems different about you two.”

                “It’s nothing,” Sirius repeated, willing his words to be true. “She was just thanking me for this morning. That’s all.”

                James brow furrowed. He wasn’t fully convinced, but there was no use trying to push the issue. Sirius didn’t seem like he was willing to admit anything, even if there really were something going on.

                “Okay,” he said, heading toward the stairs. “Well, you can always talk to me. Let’s go join Moony. He’s probably waiting for us in my room.”

                “Yeah, okay.”

                James started up the stairs. Sirius rested a hand on the rail, hesitating. He casted one last look down the hall, where the girls had been only moments before. He heaved a heavy sigh and began trotting up the stairs, ready to join his friends.

 

                Later on that night Sirius sat in the family room in the center of the couch facing the color television. He watched Rini as she worked to set up all of the snacks. They had made a few large bowls of popcorn and had scattered them across the room. There was also a plate full of sandwiches testing on the coffee table. They had spent the better part of the evening making them together. Rini found it curious that Sirius wanted to help her, but what could she say to his claims that he just didn’t want her to burn down the kitchen again?

                “Do you think that this will really work?”

                “Huh?” she said, peering up from her soda arrangement.

                “Your plan to push Prongs and Evans together.”

                “Oh, _that_ ,” replied. Satisfied with her work, she went to sit down next to Sirius. Before placing her body, she nudged him to move over. He obliged, shifting do he was on the end. She sat down in the middle.

                “It’s quite simple,” she said with a grin, pointing at the arm chair. “Remus always sits there. I told Renee that I wanted her to sit with me tonight. Since you’re also here, that leaves the loveseat as the only place free. A loveseat for the lovebirds.”

                “They’re going to kill you.”

                “At least I don’t have to worry about Voldemort then.”

                Sirius snorted at her comment as Remus and Renee came into the room. Remus gave them a quizzical look, but made no comment as he made a beeline for the armchair. Rini caught Sirius’ eye and jerked her head in Remus’ direction as to say “I told you so.” Sirius shook his head at her, crossing his arms. Why did she always have to be right?

                Renee plopped herself down next to Rini, slightly knocking Rini into Sirius. His heart gave a lurch as her body pushed into his. His body became rigid, determined to make no further contact with her. James was going to kill him.

                Renee picked up the bowl of popcorn from on top of the end table. She passed it to Rini, who took it happily. She munched on the popcorn, taking handfuls at time. Desperate for a distraction, Sirius reached out for some as well. He placed his hand in the bowl at the same time as Rini. Not looking, his hand had rested on hers. They both jumped back, withdrawing their hands from the bowl. Sirius swore at himself, turning away from her. Rini’s face was all red when she went in for another handful. She shoved it into her mouth as Lily came in the room.

                Being the only one with non-magic parents, Lily had already been designated to setting up the tape to play. It had been Lily who had originally told Rini about the latest Muggle device, and Rini, being the Muggle-obsessed witch that she was thanks to her best friend, knew that she needed to have one for their television.

                Lily clutched the VHS tape in her hand as she tried to work out the various knobs. Even though she was a Muggleborn, she had never actually used one before. They were still pretty expensive, and her parents certainly couldn’t afford to have one. She managed to power it on when James was the last to enter the room.

                He strolled in casually after adding a few extra security measures in lieu of his parent’s absence. It had been his mother’s request for him to do it. Since it made him feel a bit better knowing that it would also protect his sister and friends, he didn’t mind doing it.

                He grabbed a Coca-cola from the table and peered around for a seat. When he saw Lily kneeling on the floor and that the only space was on the loveseat, his face fell. He caught a glance of Rini and turned to observe her more clearly. She smirked at him, waving her hand. He grumbled, and glaring at his younger sister, took a seat on the loveseat.

                This was all her doing. He knew it. She had been doing things to get James and Lily to interact for the past few years. Most of the time, it had resulted in James making an ass of himself. James knew that she must have had these sorts of things in mind when she decided to invite her to their house for the week. He had expected this sort of thing from Rini, but Sirius? The sight of him sitting on the couch with Rini and Renee had thrown him off yet again. What did Rini bribe him with? Cleaning his room or something? He was going to murder them both for this.

                The movie started playing, much to Lily’s surprise. She beamed, excited that she had been able to do it. She spun around to join everyone, but stopped short when she saw that the one spot left happened to be next to James. Internally, she was screaming, for more reasons than one. Rini had to be behind this. She knew it. This had her name written all over it.

                “You,ve got to be kidding me, Rini.”

                “Shhh, Lils. I’m trying to watch the movie.”

                “Serena…” Lily began, but she stopped when the lights started to flicker. James looked around curiously, and caught her eye. They stared at each other in silence. Something didn’t feel right. This couldn’t be because of the VCR.

                Then the house went completely dark all together.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in updating this story. It took me a long time to get through this chapter. I have a few other projects in the works that should be coming soon at some point. Stay tuned.
> 
> Sarah

Chapter Three

                Rini was the first to speak.

                “Uh, why did the lights go out?”

                “Lumos,” Sirius said next to her. He caught a glimpse of her in the wand light. She turned to look back at him. Her eyes were wide as he felt her hand rest on his arm. He tried to flash a small smile, anything to reassure her so she would kindly let go of him. Her hand had become a hot iron on his arm. He couldn’t help but be acutely aware of her touch. The  rapid beating of his heart would not calm down.

                The others had followed suit. Four other wands had ignited, illuminating the room. Sirius stood, breaking their physical contact, causing Rini to jerk her head in his direction. Her arm rested in the spot in which he had just sat. She followed him with her eyes as he walked to the center of the room, perplexed. He didn’t usually shy away from her like that. What was up with him?

                “Reckon we should go and see what’s going on?” he said to James and Remus.

                “Uhh…yeah,” James said, nodding his head.

                “We’re coming too,” Rini announced, springing to her feet. She walked forward to join the boys.

                “We are?” Renee asked.

                “Yes,” Rini pressed. “We are.”

                “Oh, fine then,” James said, pulling his sister’s arm. “Come on if you must.”

                The six of them left the media room and entered the pitch-black hallway, illuminated by their wands. Rini clutched her wand tightly, but was the only one not using it. Spooky dark hallway or not, she was still underage.

                She trailed behind Sirius and James, whom were both in front. Every time that she bumped into his backside, Sirius wondered what he had done in a past life to deserve such torment. When he didn’t feel her for a minute, he looked back, his wand pointed in her direction. He caught a glimpse of her leg as she disappeared into a room off the hall. The rest of them followed.

                She was standing in front of the one window, a hand clasped over her mouth.

                “Rini, what’s the matter?” James asked as he approached.

                She said nothing, choosing to point with her free hand instead. With everyone else behind him, he peered through the glass. Floating above the trees, in what had to be the main part of the Muggle village, was the Dark Mark.

                “Shit,” Sirius swore under his breath. His grip on his wand tightened.

                The two siblings looked at each other in disbelief. This was their home. It had always been safe. They had grown up without fear here. The Muggles in the village had always been a part of that. They still knew plenty of the teenagers that resided in the houses beyond their grounds. They had played with many of them in their days before going to Hogwarts.

                “Right,” James said. “We’re going to have to help out the Muggles. I can’t sit around and do nothing.”

                Remus looked at Sirius, then at James, and said, “Of course. We have to do something.”

                James turned to his sister as they all moved back into the hallway. “Rini, you’re going to have to contact Mum and Dad.”

                “Why do I have to do it? I want to go with you.”

                “Listen,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulders, “I need you to stay here. Mum and Dad would kill me if anything happened to you, and I can’t be worried about protecting you out there. It’s too risky.”

                “Fine,” she huffed, crossing her arms. “I hate it when you’re right.”

                “Hey, I can’t help it if I’m just that amazing.”

                “Oh, shut up.”

                “Prongs, we need to go,” Remus interjected.

                “Right,” James said, turning his head back in Remus’s direction. “Let’s go.”

                Before heading toward the entryway, he gazed at Lily and Renee and added, “Make sure to keep my sister alive, okay?”

                They continued down the hall, leaving the girls behind them. Sirius glanced over his shoulder, taking one last look at Rini. He couldn’t understand it, but for some reason, he wanted to drink in all of her—to permanently sear the image of her into his mind. There was an ounce of fear in the pit of his stomach. He did his best to qualm it, but he knew that they were about to enter the Dragon’s Den. He didn’t know if this would be the last time he would see her, but if he were to come back in one piece, he knew that there would be another challenge waiting for him. He was at the precipice of two different paths for his future, and he was at a loss at what to do.

 

 

                The girls made their way toward the library after they watched the boys disappear from the hall. Lily plopped down on an armchair as Renee and Rini headed over to the small fireplace, nestled in one of the corners. Rini quickly scribbled a note as sparks flew out of Renee’s wand. There was a small blaze by the time Rini had finished. She handed it Renee, who took it and sent it zooming into the flames. It vanished with a puff of green smoke. How long it would take to reach her parents—Rini had no idea. She didn’t even know where the dinner was being held. It was all up to luck now.

                It was silent as they sat there, waiting for something to happen. Renee and Rini sat by the fire warming themselves. There was no word back yet. Rini expected one of her parents to pop out of the fire place any second. There was a stillness to the room. No one wanted to admit it, but all three of them were also listening for footsteps or the breaking of a vase in the hall. Nothing that they had learned at school could have really prepared them for this.

                Lily had tried to preoccupy her mind by snatching a book from one of the shelves. It sat on her lap, her eyes staring blankly at the page, rereading the same line over and over again. The carousel never stopped turning. Her foot kept fidgeting.

                It could happen to them, too. Her parents were Muggles. They had no way to defend themselves against wizards like this. She thought about the torture that they were going to be forced to endure. Whenever she had thought about the world outside of the school’s stone walls, she knew it was bad, but she never fully grasped what was at stake. How could she sit here in relative safety when there were all those people with no way to defend themselves? She regretted not insisting on going too. James wasn’t the boss of _her._

                Before she became conscious to her actions, she was standing, wand gripped in her outstretched hand.

                “Lily, what are you—”

                “I’m going out there,” she said before pulling the black hair scrunchie off her wrist with her teeth. She gathered her hair and held it in place with one hand as she grabbed the hair accessory with the other and wrapped it around her ponytail, careful to not set it on fire accidentally with her wand pressed into her palm.

                “But James said—”

                “I don’t care what he said,” she shot back at the other two. “He’s not my mother.”

                “I know, but—”

                “Look,” she said. “This is just something I have to do. I can’t sit here while my people are being tortured and killed—and don’t you dare think about following me.” She looked at Rini directly, hoping that the message would drive itself home.

                Gripping her wand so tightly that she was afraid that she may snap it in half, she marched out of the library with unbridled determination on her face and a giant storm of terror in the pit of her stomach.

               

                James dove behind a bush, a violet jet of light grazing his hair as his palms hit the hard ground. Cursing, he wiped them against his jeans. He turned and shot back a stunning spell from around the corner as Sirius crashed into him.

                “Watch it, Pads!”

                “Well, seeing as we’re under attack right now, I think that is going to end up being quite difficult.”

                “Where’s Moony?”

                “He was right behind me, I swear,” Sirius said. “Ah there he is,” he added as Remus came crawling over to them. He stopped resting on his knees, doubled over in attempt to catch his breath.

                “Okay, why did we think this was a great idea?”

                “It’s not about that,” James said, frowning as he dodged another spell.

                “I know, I know,” Remus said. “I was pointing out the fact that we didn’t exactly have plan for when we actually got out here.”

                “Think we should split up?” James said as he was fixing his slightly askew glasses after casting his last spell. “Try to confuse them?”

                “You know if you really wanted to confuse them, Prongsy,” Sirius said with a grin, though it was hard to tell in the darkness. “You could just transform. Now that would _really_ perplex them.”

                “Do you actually think this is the right time to be making jokes right now?” Remus snapped.

                “What’s life without a little fun?”

                “You call this fun?”

                “I mean it’s not boring, is it?”

                Remus shook his head, rubbing his temple with his free hand. Those two sure knew how to pick the greatest times to act childish. What was next? Using pranks to fight the Death Eaters?

                “I think it could work,” Sirius said. “It beats staying here like sitting ducks.”

                “Fine,” sighed Remus. “We can try it, but if I get killed, I’m going to come back and haunt you all.”

                “Right,” James said, crouched down, peering around the corner. “On my count, we go.”

                “One.”

                Sirius gripped his wand tighter, readying to spring up.

                “Two.”

                Remus licked his lips. All he could here was the hammering of his own heart.

                “Three!”

 

                Lily’s heart was pounding as she jogged down the stone path that led to the center of the village. She knew that what she was doing was extremely risky. Going out into a dangerous situation like this alone was not ideal, but she could not have sat in that house for another moment.

                As she drew closer to the houses, she slowed to a walk. She chewed at the cuticle of her thumb as she pushed forward. Her shoes echoed against the pavement as she rounded a corner, the view of the village blocked by a large stone wall.

                What had she been thinking, coming out here alone with Death Eaters possibly crawling around every corner? She thought that she might have been able to catch up with the boys if she had hurried along enough. There hadn’t been a huge amount of time between both departures, maybe ten or fifteen minutes. However, she hadn’t caught the slightest sign of them anywhere. For that matter, she didn’t see evidence of a single soul. It was too quiet. She should have come across someone—anyone by then. She hadn’t seen so much as a rogue housecat. There was something eerie about the stillness of the night as she peered up at the night sky to see the waning moon and stars glowing back at her.

                This was stupid. What was she going to be able to do on her own anyway? She could have only hoped to find the boys in some way, but that was proving to be quite difficult. She had no way of communicating with them or even knowing where to find them. She sighed, turned around with a new desire to head back washing over her, when a scream penetrated the still night. Lily whipped her head back. It had come from a neighboring house. Without hesitation, she rushed into its direction and into the open palms of mortal peril.

               

                “I can’t believe her,” Rini said, standing up after a long moment of silence. “I’m going to go after her.”

                “Hang on,” Renee said, also rising to her feet. She outstretched her arm, holding Rini back. “We need to stay here, you know, where it’s safe.”

                “I don’t see why everyone else gets to see all the action when I have to sit here and wait like a good little girl.”

                Renee sighed. “You’ll never learn, will you? People are in mortal _danger_ , Serena.”

                Rini made a face. “Ugh, do you have to call me that?”

                Renee pushed her back. Rini lost her balance, falling down into her seat. She hit the cushion with a soft plop. She stared back at her friend, scowling.

                “I will if it is the reason you start listening.”

                “Why are you making this out to be such a big deal?” Rini said, jumping to her feet. She swayed a moment, the blood rushing to her head.

                “My parents are thinking of moving back to France,” Renee said in a whisper so soft that it was almost inaudible.

                Rini lowered herself slowly onto the couch next to her friend. “Wait. Why?”

                “Isn’t it obvious?” she said, lifting a hand to her face. She started rubbing her temple. “You-Know-Who is gaining power. They’re scared shitless, and I don’t blame them. I’m scared too. They’re actually there at the moment, visiting my grand-mere. They’re not going to be happy when they return and find out about this.”

                “Why haven’t they gone yet, then?”

                “I think that they are waiting until I finish Hogwarts this year or at least until I’m in the middle of my final year.”

                “Oh so after this year—”

                “Back to France.” Renee said. “Je ne sais pas quoi faire.”

                “Anglais, s’il vous plaît.”

                “Sorry,” Renee said, shrugging. “I don’t know what I am going to do.”

                “You could stay.”

                “That’s the thing,” she replied. “I don’t know if I want to with everything that’s been going on.”

                Rini flopped back in her seat. “We can worry about that when the time comes. Right now we need to focus on getting through tonight.”

               

                “What a bright idea this was, wasn’t it?” Sirius grumbled before shooting back a curse.

                “Don’t look at me,” Remus said as he crouched behind the wall next to Sirius. They had gone about twenty feet before they were bombarded again. “This was Prongs’s idea.”

                “I swear to God that if we get through this, I’m going to kill him.”

                They had no idea where James was now once they had separated as a diversion tactic; they lost track of him. They could only hope that he was okay as they fought off their own enemies. There was no way that they could go find him, not at the present moment at least.

                Sirius thought of the girls back at the manor and hoped that they were safe. There were protections in place, but being raised around the Dark Arts, he knew that those could be easily broken. His mind flashed to Rini and her smile that could bring one to his own face and his stomach sank. He quickly pushed the thought of her out of his brain. He couldn’t think about her. That would be—well, nothing good could come out of thinking about her. They were friends, sure, but nothing else. The fact that he was even considering more in the back of his mind was disturbing enough.

                He should be thinking about this moment, not allow himself to be distracted. Though he would be loath to admit it, she did make a beautiful distraction with her chestnut brown hair and porcelain skin drawing him in along with that mischievous grin that made her high cheek bones all the more obvious.

                Remus said something, but all Sirius could hear was white noise. It was killing him not knowing if they were all right. He couldn’t rid himself of the unease he felt.  In any case, the Potters would kill him and James if anything happened to their daughter. Spoiled little princess.

                “Pads, are you even listening to me?”

                “Huh?”

                “I said that we should probably try to meet back up with James. Three wands are better than two. And don’t you go making a dirty joke. Now is not the time,” he added, spotting Sirius’s now open mouth.

                “Oh, you’re no fun.”

                Remus shook his head. “How can you think like this when all of us are in mortal danger?”

                “Just who I am, love,” he said with a wink as they began to crawl along the other side of the wall.

                “Let’s get out of here and find James.”

 

                Lily sprinted up the stone stairs leading up to the house. Her feet pounded against the pavement as she reached the open doorway. She pushed the door slightly forward gingerly. She couldn’t see anyone in the threshold. She took a minute to steady her breaths before moving forward and into the house.

 

                James dashed behind a house as a flash of green light brushed past his shoulder. He inhaled sharply. That had been close—way too close. He clutched at the stitch in his side from sprinted across somebody’s garden. His eyes flicked upwards at the rear windows. It was dark. No one seemed to be home. They had picked the best night to be out.

                James had been about to throw back a stunning spell when he felt a warm vibration in the pack pocket of his trousers. He frantically wiggled a square mirror. Sirius’s face stared back at him when he peered into the glass.

                “Prongs, where are you?”

                “Uh, behind some house…not sure what street this is.”

                Another jet of light came out from around the corner, hitting the edge of the stone, blasting it off. James covered the top of his head before shouting “ _Stupefy!_ ” with his wand pointed out blindly.

                “I’m a little busy right now, Pads,” he said through his teeth, his voice slightly strained.

                “This wasn’t the best idea, you know.”

                “I’m aware,” James snapped as another spell missed him, hitting a nearby tree and knocking off several branches. “You don’t have to rub it in. Gotta go.”

                James shoved the mirror back in his pocket. He could hear Sirius’s voice coming through the fabric, but his words were indistinguishable. James didn’t care. He had bigger worries. He took another deep breath before trying to make a break for it on the other side of the house.

               

                “What now?” Remus asked as Sirius put the mirror back into his back pocket.

                “Guess we’re on our own,” he replied. “It’s gotten a bit quiet. Do you reckon that the coast is clear?”

                Remus brushed some dirt off his arm. “Could be. Could also be a trap.”

                “There you go, Moony. Always looking on the bright side.”

                “You’re impossible, you know that.”

                “But you love me anyway.”

                “Shut up.”

                The night was suddenly still. An owl hooted in the distance. All signs of life had ceased to exist. The wind had picked up a little, rustling some fallen leaves. Sirius strained to hear for the sound of footsteps. When none came, he stood taller.

                “I think they might have moved on. Let’s try to make a break for it. Find James.”

                “Yeah. Let’s go—”

                He was cut off by a high-pitched scream piercing through the crisp night air. They glanced at each other, Remus mouth open, the end of his sentence lost to the abyss. Their heads moved in the direction of an old-looking house behind them from which the sound had originated.

                “It came from that house.”

                “We should go check it out.”

                “Right.”

                The two young men were now on their feet. They sprinted in the direction of the house, unsure what would be on the other side of the door.

 

                Lily moved forward cautiously as she crossed over the threshold. The entryway was empty. A vase had been knocked over. Lily cautiously stepped over the broken glass.

                “ _Lumos_ ,” she whispered.

                She couldn’t see past the edge of light emitted from the tip of her wand. Her heart hammered in her ears. It had to be this house. She was sure that she had heard the scream had come from here.

                As though to answer her internal questions, a distressed cry came from the floor above her. Her fingers flexed against the thin willow in her hand. She closed her eyes briefly and swallowed the newly formed lump. She heard the scream again and recoiled. A long breath escaped her lips. She had to do something—there was no choice. She couldn’t just walk away.

                Leaving her fear behind her, she started to ascend the staircase. She went up slowly, deliberately. She stayed on her toes, afraid to make too much noise as she moved across the slowly decaying floor boards.

                Lily managed to reach the landing without detection. The screaming grew louder as she moved down the hallway. She paused when she reached a door that had been left slightly ajar. She listened for a moment. The screams were coming from the other side. She flinched, clutching her wand before trying to peek through the small crack.

                A tall woman was standing over a young woman holding a small child. Her raven hair was pushed back behind her ear, revealing the twisted smile upon her face. She felt sick in the middle of her stomach. How could someone take such pleasure in causing innocent people such pain? It was unconscionable. The victim’s sudden pleas yanked Lily back to the present as she watched on in horror.

                “Please stop. No more.”

                “Shut up. _Crucio!_ ”

                Lily closed her eyes as the woman’s face twisted into agony. The Cruciatus Curse—one of the three Unforgivables. She had learned about them—read about them—what they do. She knew that using one could land you with a one-way ticket to Azkaban. She had learned all of that, but nothing, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw that night.

                Her hands shook as she listened to the screams. She knew that it was more than possible that she was going to receive a taste of the spell first-hand. What could she do?

                She took a step back, running through the spells that she knew in her head as the woman’s screams echoed in her ears, and then quickly subsided. There was a flash of green light and then nothing. In shocked silence, she pressed down harder on one of her feet. The floorboard creaked from under her, the sound reverberating through the old house.  

                “Who’s there?” the woman screeched, turning around. Lily had no time to flee as the door blasted out with a flash of violet light, sending her flying backwards. She slammed into the wall behind her, landing on the floor.

                “Looks like I came across a little mouse,” the woman cackled. Her voice was cold, uncaring.

                Lily, still dazed, rolled over onto her back. Through hazy vision, she could see the tall and thin woman. Her long dark hair swayed behind her as she closed in on Lily. Standing in front of Lily, she raised her wand. Her beautiful face twisted into a malicious smile.

                “Perhaps, I should teach you a lesson about snooping,” she said. “ _Crucio!_ ”

                Lily could do nothing about the screams that escaped from her mouth. She had never experienced pain like this before in her life, not even that time when she was six and broke her arm falling down the stairs. Every inch of her body was on fire. The flames consumed her every thought. Tears fell from her eyes as she lay on the floor, writhing in agony.

                “Had enough?” the woman taunted. “All you have to do is beg for mercy, and it will all be over.”

                Lily clamped her mouth shut. She wasn’t about to give that person that sort of satisfaction. She didn’t deserve it. As much as the pain made her want to scream, she wouldn’t let her body give into that desire any more. That’s what truculent woman wanted.

                “No?” she said coldly. “Well perhaps we need to be taught another lesson.”

                The pain stopped. Lily felt as though she had been holding her breath to suddenly be reminded how to breath. She never had time for her brain to register that she had to fight back or perish. The woman raised her wand again. Dark purple light flooded her vision for a second and then everything went black.

 

**Author's Note:**

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